Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox, SPE, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Roadside Attractions, Orion Pictures
Finding major stardom after "Santa Barbara," Robin Wright switched to the big screen and did a lot of great, if criminally underrated sometimes, movies.
1. "The Princess Bride" (1987) – 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, $30.9M Box Office Buttercup, our titular Princess Bride, is in love with Westley but ends up being betrothed to Prince Humperdinck. Westley, thought to be dead, comes back as the Dread Pirate Roberts and battles all odds to rescue her.
Throw in a kidnapping plot involving Vizzini, a quirky criminal mastermind, and a wrestling giant named Fezzik, and you've got yourself an adventure! And who can forget Inigo Montoya, on a quest to avenge his father?
In the end, true love conquers all — even death traps and Rodents of Unusual Size.
2. "Moneyball" (2011) – 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, $75.6M Box Office It's a baseball movie where Robin plays Sharon, the ex-wife of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane. He's on a mission to create a competitive team on a budget by employing computer-generated analyses to acquire new players. Billy faces skepticism from traditionalists, but he and his assistant GM, Peter Brand, prove their revolutionary methods by leading the team to a record-breaking winning streak.
Just a heads up, it's a sports movie that even non-sports fans can appreciate.
3. "Wonder Woman" (2017) – 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, $412.8M Box Office Set during World War I, the movie follows Diana, an Amazonian princess trained by her aunt, Antiope.
When a pilot named Steve crashes near their island, Diana learns about the ongoing war and decides to help. With her mystical weapons and Steve's ragtag team, they uncover a plot to release a deadly gas concocted by the nefarious Dr. Poison. After a devastating loss, Diana taps into her true powers and defeats the god of war, Ares.
4. "The Playboys" (1992) – 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, $4.9M Box Office Set in a 1957 Irish village, Robin Wright plays Tara Maguire, a woman pregnant out of wedlock, causing a scandal in her conservative community. She draws the affections of two men: the town's constable and a member of a traveling theatre group. Ultimately, she refuses to conform to society's norms and decides to raise her child alone, with some secret help from her theatre beau.
This story's got heart, drama, and an essential dash of rebellion.
5. "Blade Runner 2049" (2017) – 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, $91.5M Box Office Set in a dystopian future, this sequel introduces us to K, a blade runner who retires outdated androids known as replicants. His boss, Lieutenant Joshi, orders him to destroy all evidence of a child born from a replicant, fearing the implications.
K's investigation leads him to Deckard, a former blade runner in hiding. After battling it out with corporate goons, K helps reunite Deckard with his daughter, ultimately challenging what it means to be human.
6. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) – 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, $102.5M Box Office This thriller takes us to Sweden, where journalist Mikael Blomkvist is enlisted to solve the decades-old disappearance of Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families.
Erika Berger, played by Wright, is Mikael's co-editor and sometimes-lover who watches as he teams up with hacker Lisbeth Salander. Together, they uncover dark family secrets, including incest and murder, culminating in a tense showdown with the actual murderer.
7. "A Most Wanted Man" (2014) – 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, $17.2M Box Office Set in Hamburg, Germany, the film revolves around a covert anti-terrorism team led by Günther Bachmann. Martha Sullivan, portrayed by Wright, is a CIA operative closely observing Bachmann's operation. They target a young Muslim man, who they suspect is funneling money to terrorists.
However, it turns out he's only trying to funnel it to a charitable organization. Just when you think diplomacy wins, the CIA swoops in for an apprehension, leaving Bachmann and his nuanced tactics in the dust.
8. "State of Grace" (1990) – 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, $1.9M Box Office This crime drama is set in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, where childhood friends Terry and Jackie find themselves on opposite sides of the law. Robin Wright's Kathleen Flannery is Terry's sister and becomes the romantic interest. As Terry infiltrates the Irish gang led by Jackie, tensions rise, ultimately leading to a violent confrontation. The tragic irony? Terry is forced to kill Jackie to save Kathleen and himself.
9. "State of Play" (2009) – 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, $37.0M Box Office Cal McAffrey, a seasoned reporter, investigates the suspicious death of a woman connected to his college roommate, Stephen, now a Congressman. Wright's Anne Collins is Stephen's estranged wife who provides crucial insights into the investigation. Cal digs deeper, exposing a corporate conspiracy that uses private contractors for war efforts.
The final twist? Stephen takes the fall to protect Anne, making for a bittersweet ending.
10. "The Pledge" (2001) – 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, $19.7M Box Office Jerry, a retired police chief, makes a promise to a grieving mother to find her daughter's murderer. Along the way, he develops a relationship with Lori, played by Wright, and her young daughter. Convinced that her daughter could be the next target, he becomes obsessed with catching the killer.
But in a shocking turn of events, the killer dies in a car accident, and Jerry's world unravels, leaving him in a desolate mental state.
